The Band Perry ready to pop on new album

The Band Perry is going pop on their forthcoming album, “My Bad Imagination.”

Photo: Getty Images

The brother/sister trio the Band Perry, one of country music’s hottest young acts, will bring a fresh sound upon its return to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo on Friday.

The Band Perry rocketed into stardom with its self-titled debut album in 2010, with Kimberly Perry singing lead vocals and playing guitar, Reid Perry on bass and Neil Perry on drums, mandolin and accordion.

With a fusion of country, pop and rock plus sibling harmonies for a smart contemporary country vibe, the album scored five hits — “You Lie,” “Hip to My Heart,” “Postcard From Paris” and the No. 1s “If I Die Young” and “All Your Life.”

While they tilted toward country’s pop side, the Band Perry finally made it official with an announcement earlier this month that their next album, “My Bad Imagination,” will be their first pop album.

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In concert

Who: The Band Perry

When: Following San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Parkway

Tickets: $25.50; 210-225-5851 or sarodeo.com

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While there is no release date yet, the first single, “Stay in the Dark,” is on the airwaves and available for purchase on the web. Kimberly Perry ditches her previous country-tinged vocals for a direct pop approach, along with the instrumentation, on the new song.

Last week, the Band Perry performed the network TV debut of “Stay in the Dark” on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

Here is the Band Perry’s message to fans on their website about the change in direction:

“We’ve made an album for you. Creating it has been the most exciting thing we’ve ever done. It’s led us to disrupt everything that was comfortable and familiar to us a short year ago. If there’s one thing we’ve learned in making it it’s this — being yourself matters. It matters even when not everyone agrees that you should be or understands why it’s important that you are.

Some fans were pleased, such as TrishaM, who commented:

“Been a fan since Aug 2015. I’ve never followed anyone as much as I do you. It's been a rollercoaster ride and I'm enjoying every minute of it. I look forward to whatever the future brings. Love you guys!”

Others were not so happy, including TomsCarolyn:

“I like the new song but it makes me sad that under the ‘Music’ and ‘Videos’ section you don’t include any of your past hits. It’s like they don’t matter anymore. After all they are what brought you here. I hope you don’t forget the fans that supported you and got you to the point that you could make this change in direction.”

MusicRow magazine’s website published these quotes from the trio explaining the song and the change in their musical course:

“In the literal sense ‘Stay in the Dark’ is about getting close to the one you love, closing the curtains and escaping from the wilds of the world together for the night,” Reid Perry said. “For us though, it has so many meanings, and we’re looking forward to see how our fans find themselves in it.”

“As we’ve been thinking about our transition from our last two albums to this one, I’ve interpreted lyrics more as metaphor with ‘I just want to stay in the dark’ meaning I want to stay romantic, imaginative and naïve,” Kimberly Perry said. “I want to believe in what I can’t see. I want to keep walking forward.”

The Band Perry was christened in 2005.

Kimberly Perry had fronted bands since she was 15, and her brothers formed their own band and sometimes opened for her around their home in Mobile, Alabama.

For years, though, they had sung and written songs together at home to perfect their harmonies and style.

A few years after forming the Band Perry, they caught the ear of Garth Brooks’ manager, Bob Doyle, and landed a record deal with Republic Nashville, which led to their smashing debut album.

In 2015 they released their sophomore album, “Pioneer,” which included the hit singles “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” and “Chainsaw” and the No. 1s “Better Dig Two” and “Done.”

Along the way, The Band Perry was nominated for a Grammy in 2011 for best new artist and won a Grammy in 2015 for best country duo/group performance for a cover of Glen Campbell’s “Gentle On My Mind.”